Rogers Media uses cookies for personalization, to customize its online advertisements, and for other purposes. Learn more or change your cookie preferences. Rogers Media supports the Digital Advertising Alliance principles. By continuing to use our service, you agree to our use of cookies.

We use cookies (why?) You can change cookie preferences. Continued site use signifies consent.

Jobs, new sectors emerging ahead of next year's marijuana legalization

The province of Ontario is getting ready to replace illegal weed dispensaries with their own government-run storefronts next year, working with municipalities to figure out where exactly they will place 40 locations by July 2018.

In anticipation of the marijuana boom, brand new sectors, companies and jobs are already starting emerge.

Cannabis growers will no doubt be in demand as the federal government currently only has about 60 licensed producers for their medical marijuana supply. That’s why Niagara College is now offering a post-graduate program in commercial cannabis production.

“With any industry, as it emerges, you have to fill the jobs that will be created with well-trained highly skilled individuals,” says Alan Unwin, associate dean at Niagara College’s school of environmental and horticultural studies. “Most of the consultation we had with licensed producers has shown is clearly there is a need for this program.”

But marijuana production isn’t the the only sector where jobs will be created. Lift, a cannabis media platform, has a number of job listings on their site, ranging from software management, marketing, branding and horticulture.

“It’s not just the cannabis producers, it’s also the future retailers and the ancillary services that feed those businesses,” says Lift’s editor-in-chief David Brown. “This is just the beginning of a very large industry beginning to grab a foothold.